GM Clarifies That Chevy Volt Battery Will Be Good for 10 Years - Even in Desert Heat

In a piece we posted Monday, we wrote that General Motors seemed to suggest in its FastLane blog that in desert heat the life of the battery that will propel the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle might not reach the 10-year norm that its engineers had hoped for.

"The biggest challenge in testing is hot-weather storage of the vehicle," the automaker wrote. "Currently, 10 years of battery life is the norm, but some people could get more battery life depending on the climate where they live and their driving conditions."

This statement, when reviewed with another made by the automaker that "you don't want to leave it parked at Sky Harbor Airport [in Phoenix, Ariz.] all summer," led us to conclude that GM might - might - be suggesting that the Volt's battery life in a hot climate could be shorter than the minimum 10-year norm the automaker has sought.

But in an email sent to us today, GM spokesman for hybrid and battery technology Brian Corbett assured us that the Volt's battery would be good for 10 years even when exposed to high temperatures on a regular basis.

The target battery life for the Volt "in all climates for everyone is 10 years, but in climates that aren't as severe, it could be longer," Corbett said.

Citing Bill Wallace, head engineer for GM's Voltech Battery Systems, Corbett added, "If you're living in Phoenix or a desert climate and you're plugging your Volt in and using it every day, you shouldn't see any degradation in performance compared to any other city that's not in the desert."